The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Greetings to ever one in western Illinois and all readers of The Quill.
Weather is a warm'n up a bit, as I write this column, and maybe by the time ya is able to read it, farmers will be back in their fields.
Most, but not all, of the corn is planted around these parts, but plenty of beans are yet ta be set loose from their sacks/containers and put into the ground.
Cool Spring
There is some concern fer those beans already planted pertain'n ta emergence. The cool wet weather may have had a negative affect on em. Well, what will be, will be, and frett'n over them won't change things any.
Corn planted around these parts is a look'in good. Northern states are have'n a hard time gett'n in the field due ta too much rain. Seed still in the sack, and many fields need'n attention. All in all, the speculators at the board of trade cain't quite decide how to place their bets. Is it gonna be a good crop or not? Can we steal it from the producer or do we pay a fair price? How do we hedge our bets?
17 Horses
An old time farmer died leave'n his 17 horses ta his three sons. When his sons opened up the will it read: My eldest son should get 1/2 (half) of my horses; my middle son should be given 1/3rd (one-third) of the total horses; my youngest son should be given 1/9th (one-ninth) of the total horses.
Their smart Harvard trained lawyer couldn't figure out how to divide 17 into half or 17 by 3 or 17 by 9. He declared it an impossibility and as a result the three sons started ta fight with each other. He was able however, to figure out his bill even though he couldn't perform satisfactorily! Their wives added fuel ta the fire at home and were no help either. They consulted with their local pastor for ole King Solomon's wisdom, but found no solution.
Finally, as an afterthought, they agreed ta go ta an elderly one-room school educated farmer friend and neighbor who was noted fer deep think'n wisdom, common sense and good judgment. They considered him quite smart, inspite of his limited 8th grade, one-room rural school house education, and checked ta see if'n he had time ta come over and try ta figure it out amiably fer them.
The old feller came over and read the neighbors will patiently and diligently, as a friend would. He then gave his courtesies and took his leave ta go home and ponder on the dilemma over night.
After given the will due thought process he came back the next morn'n. He brought with him one of his own horses and added it to the 17 mentioned in the fathers will. That increased the total ta 18 horses.
Now, he proceeded ta divide the horses according ta their fathers will.
Half of 18=9. So he gave the eldest son 9 horses.
1/3 of 18=6. So he gave the middle son 6 horses.
1/9 of 18=2. So he gave the youngest son 2 horses.
Then he added up how many horses they have:
Eldest son......9
Middle son......6
Youngest son......2
Total is......17
This left one horse left over. The old wise farmer takes his original horse back to his farm.
Problem solved! The families get along well ta this very day, include'n their wives. The lawyer went into politics at Washington, D.C.
So what's the moral ta the story? Well, the attitude of negotiation and problem solving is ta find the 18th horse or ya might say the common ground. Once a person is able to find the 18th horse, then it can be resolved. Granted, it is difficult at times but why give up and quit try'n.
However, ta reach a solution, the first step is ta believe that there is a solution.
If'n we thinks that there is no solution, we won't be able to reach any! Fer sure we see's that quite a bit in politics today.
Food fer Thought
The boys got ta talk'n at the feed store the other day and isolated three conundrums. They never really fully answered, to anyones satisfaction, the follow'n questions put into short sentence form. See what ya thinks on the matter as it relates ta tell'n ya a lot about the direction of our government and cultural environment these days.
1. We are advised ta not judge all Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged ta judge all gun owners by the action of a few lunatics. Strange how that works.
2. Seems we constantly hear about how Social Security is going ta run out of money. How come we never hears about welfare or food stamps running out of money? What's even more enterest'n ta the boys was the first group, "worked for" their money, but the second didn't.
3. Why are we cutt'n benefits fer our veterans, no pay raises fer our military, and cutt'n our army to a level lower than before WW II, but we are not stopping the payments ta illegal aliens? It was reported that illegals receive monthly, $1500 per child, $500 fer housing, food stamps, free education include'n college and the right ta vote!
Well, I'm not sure where them fellers came up with that stuff but they shore enough never came up with adequate answers to suit anyone tote'n a feed sack. It was enterest'n hear'n em batter their opinions back and forth as they cracked peanuts.
I'm a guess'n those questions kept their minds off'n the cool wet weather we was a have'n at that time. None of them boys was done plant'n beans so they needed something ta divert their minds from the work ahead. As fer me, I'm not render'n any opinions or pass'n any judgments.
Memorial Day
Have yourself a good Memorial Day holiday a come'n up and keep in mind what the observation was designed fer. Show yer respects, it tells somethin' about how your mind arranges it's priorities.
Hope'n to see ya in church this week.
Where ever ya is, whatever ya be a do'n BE A GOOD ONE!!
Keep on Smile'n,
Catch ya later!
BARNYARD BRUKE